Nobody was going to get near my girls.
Gemma included.
ChapterNine
GEMMA
A knockat my door woke me up.
It had been two weeks since someone slashed my tire. Whoever it was had kept to the shadows and didn’t look in the direction of the camera. Because of that, the guys atNo Surrendercould only see that there was just one person who wasn’t very big. That helped rule out Brett but I still didn’t trust him anymore than I could throw him.
Since then it seemed like one of my friends was popping in frequently out of the blue to check on me. The knocking came again and I groaned. After climbing out of bed, I threw on my soft, plush robe over my nightshirt and shuffled barefoot out to the living area toward the door.
It was Saturday morning and too damn early. If I didn’t adore my friends so much I might disown them for waking me up when it was my sleep-in day. Pushing to my toes, I peeked through the peephole in the door.
My pulse picked up at the sight of Bodie.
Dropping back down to the flats of my feet, I took a deep breath and flung open the door, a giddy feeling racing through me. My happiness took a nosedive when I saw the look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
He glanced down the hall at the door to his condo, then back to me with a worried look.
“It was a rough night.” He rubbed his hands down his face, looking exhausted. “We had pizza and I think it bothered Piper’s tummy, but she’s feeling better. The hardest part was her asking why all the other kids have mommies that help them when they are sick.”
My heart crumbled at his words.
I couldn’t say I never wondered the same thing. I not only felt awful that Piper had been sick, but that she had to ask that question. I could tell how much Bodie was struggling and I wanted to do something to help but I was a little puzzled about what brought him to my door. Unless he just needed someone to talk to.
After reaching out, I tenderly touched his chest over his heart. “I’m so sorry. I know that’s rough. Tell me what I can do to help.”
When he looked down at my hand, I jerked it back quickly. I probably overstepped touching him but wasn’t thinking, just reacting. He didn’t look mad or uncomfortable when he glanced back up at me. But he did look confused. A mask fell over his features and he answered my question.
“I’m so glad you asked that.” He smiled then. “The girls asked to go to the zoo today since Piper is doing fine and not acting like she was up half the night. They wanted me to see if you could come with us. I know you’re probably busy and have better things to do, but I had to try. For them.”
I was shocked they wanted me to go and that Bodie would even ask me. How could I say no when they all were having a hard time? And did I want to? The answer was yes. A part of me was doing a happy dance at getting to spend time with all three of them. Was it smart? Probably not, since I could get too attached.
Not only to the girls… but to Bodie as well.
“I would love to go.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You would?”
“Sure. The zoo is fun.” I gave him a silly smile. “What time should I be ready?”
Before he could answer, two heads peeked around the open door just a few spots down from mine. “Did she say yes?” his kids said in unison.
Bodie and I both laughed. “She’s in,” he told them.
“In what?” Peyton asked, scrunching her nose in confusion.
God, they were adorable. “I’ll go to the zoo,” I told them.
Both girls raced from their home, a blur, as they came down the hall faster than Road Runner. Before I braced myself for impact, they slammed into my legs at the same time. Bodie grabbed my arms at the last second stopping me from toppling over. Once I was steady, he let go and the girls unwound themselves from my limbs.
“Can we go now?” they asked excitedly.
Bodie put a hand on each of the girls' heads and turned them toward their place. “You two need to take baths and get ready and we need to let Gemma get ready too.”
